Real Madrid playmaker Brahim Diaz has made the decision to play for Morocco, despite criticism from the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).
The 24-year-old, who was born and raised in Malaga, will play for his parents’ home country, having been called up by Walid Regragui to face Angola and Mauritania.
Brahim initially wanted to play for Spain and was capped once by La Roja in 2021, after an under-23 team replaced the senior team which was suffering a bout of Covid-19 before the Euros . However, Morocco persisted in their efforts to persuade Brahim to play for them, and sensing that he would not get into the Spanish team, he decided to play for the Atlas Lions.
A curious case
The RFEF and Spanish coach Luis de la Fuente were criticized for not calling Brahim and locking down his future, or at least speaking privately with him to make him feel close to the team. De la Fuente told reporters on Monday that, above all, the players “ must want to play for Spain“.
It’s hard to say Brahim should have been recalled ahead of other players until this international window, other than to secure his international future. This is a curious case, however, as La Roja have always been quick to sign players like Bojan Krkic, Munir El Haddadi and, more recently, Lamine Yamal.
